Concussion
by Tom Tomorrow
Summary: "How many times does she do that?" The detective asks one night. "Does who do what?" Alex murmurs. "Your sister, how many times does she just crash through the ceiling? She does know that there are doors, right?" ll Supergirl isn't indestructible. The blonde likes to think she is. Loves others to think she is. But she's not. Not really.


Authors Note: I recently watched Concussion starring Will Smith. It inspired this one shot.

…. … …

Supergirl isn't indestructible.

The blonde likes to think she is.

Loves others to think she is.

And the entire city celebrates her as so.

Invulnerable. Indestructible.

But she's not. Not really.

It is the DEO's best kept secret.

And in a way, it is its worst.

Maggie Sawyer realizes this gradually.

Realizes this in tidbits.

Because at first, that information is never told directly to her, even when she knows that Supergirl and Kara Danvers are one in the same.

Instead, it is merely implied.

Implied in the way Alex panics every time Kara goes out of contact during a mission.

Implied in the way J'onn criticizes the blonde when she toes _that_ line of cutting things too close.

Implied, but never explained.

And Maggie never asks.

She assumes it's about the mental health aspect of things.

Because Kara is young and eager and reckless, everything Maggie had been before Gotham City's Police Department sobered her up.

And youth and eagerness only last so long in the darkness of crime.

It is no secret that Alex is Kara's emotional soundboard.

It is no secret that J'onn serves as a bit of a protective father type to both Danvers sisters.

So, she just accepts it. Rolls with it.

Garners her own sense of protectiveness over the tall, exuberant blonde.

And doesn't ask.

As things grow more serious between them, Alex becomes a lot more liberal with what she shares about Kara's superhero lifestyle.

Gripes about all the paperwork she has to sign because Kara can't draw a line between what needs a superhero intervention and what doesn't.

Worries that Kara's overworking herself.

Then offhandedly mentions that she'll kill her sister if she blows her powers again.

And until then Maggie has always thought Alex was being overprotective, though she realizes the truth in her girlfriend's words, because the officers on the night shift have way too many stories to share about the caped crusader, and Maggie knows Kara has a day job.

It is just that Maggie never realized that the blonde can get physically hurt.

Alex explains when she doesn't understand.

Tells Maggie that Kara can quite literally work herself to point of being practically human.

And Kara is horrible at being human.

Okay. It makes sense.

Exhaustion.

Exhaustion can wear down even the strongest of people.

Then, weeks later, Alex calls in tears one night.

Says she'll have to cancel their plans for later.

That she'll be staying in the DEO that night because Kara got stabbed.

Stabbed.

And she wonders how the girl that has bullets literally bounce off her skin can get stabbed.

That night she learns about kryptonite.

Green. Red. Silver.

What it can do to Alex's sister.

How it can cripple Kara. How it can cripple Superman.

She also learns about the sunlamps.

The healing effect they have on Kryptonians.

How Kara hates them. Hates them, but needs them.

And Kara appears the next day.

As if nothing ever happened.

More incidents happen since then.

Stabbings, beatings, a hell of a lot of property damage.

And Kara always comes out on the other side, a little irritable, but otherwise fresh out the same bottomless well of optimism.

Maggie Sawyer thinks she has a handle on it then.

Rocks and Exhaustion.

Sunlamps can fix both.

She knows what to look for.

She knows what to do.

And those are the only two things.

Until they aren't.

… … … …. …. …

Rocks and exhaustion.

The first time the detective questions the validity of that is also the first time she sees Kara Danvers physically hurt.

It happens on the night of the Daxamite invasion. When Kara fights Clark.

Until then everything Maggie had ever heard about Kara getting hurt had always been through word of mouth and always in the aftermath.

To see it happen in real time is terrifying.

Every punch crackles like thunder.

Every kick echoes across the city.

The cousins aren't holding back.

They aren't slowing down.

Slamming each other into cars and buildings and concrete as the city burns around them.

Their strength is unmatched as they rain blows on each other.

Kara is being careful.

Maggie knows this even from this distance, that Kara doesn't want to hurt him.

Clark though, inhibited by the silver Kryptonite, is giving it all he's got.

Landing punches to her jaw, her stomach, her head, anywhere he can get his fists too.

And Maggie winces from the sidelines.

Because God if Kara was human, any one of those punches would have killed her.

But the blonde's taking them like a champ, letting the blows roll off her like the water on her skin.

So, the detective thinks Kara's got this, that everything is going to be fine.

Until, when the fight is over, after Kara has essentially molly-whopped her cousin, the superhero drops to her knees.

Rocking. Swaying back and forth. Struggling to remain upright.

And Maggie realizes that every punch, every blow wasn't just shrugged off.

It takes Alex to steady her.

Alex who checks her over hastily, says that she needs the sun lamps.

But Kara shakes her head.

Insists that " _no… no… there's no time. We have to go."_

And she stumbles to her feet.

Grabs Alex and Clark and takes to the sky.

Maggie chalks it up to exhaustion. Even when her gut says otherwise.

And for the rest of the night, she catches Kara on several occasions holding herself upright.

Rubbing her temples.

Squinting her eyes.

Sings of something…

Something she can't quite put her finger on.

And she wonders if Kara ever got to the sun lamps.

When she asks though, the blonde gives her a cheeky smile, says she's fine.

Maggie doesn't believe her.

Yet, she lets it go.

And in the chaos that follows.

She forgets to ask again.

... ... ... ... ...

The little things become more obvious over the following days.

They'd been getting back in the rhythm of these things.

People were returning to National City.

The police department was back open again.

She and Alex had moved in together.

And Kara had hurled herself back into Supergirl activities.

Even though Alex and majority of the others advise highly against it.

But it's undeniable that people need help.

And Kara lives off helping people.

So, even when she doesn't seem one hundred percent on top of game, she goes.

Maggie chalks it up to Mon-el leaving.

Chalks it up to the coping and grief.

Now though, now they're together.

At Alex's place.

Winn, Lyra, James, Vasquez, a few others.

Chatting over the table at each other as they play a game of spades.

Taking a break from the hasty rush of the last few weeks.

"Hey, Kara? Watcha listening to?"

James asks easily.

Deep baritone ringing effortlessly over the banter of the room's occupants.

Maggie looks away from Alex.

To Kara, who's looking off into the distance.

And James is right, she has that look, the one she wears when she's using one of her enhanced abilities.

"Hmm? Oh nothing, I just have a headache."

Kara murmurs.

Straightening up, fixing her glasses nervously, now that all the attention is on her.

"You have a headache?"

Alex echoes questioningly.

Voice filled with undisguisable concern.

The blonde waves her off.

"I... It's fine. I just meant it's a little loud."

The rest of the group quiet down a little after that.

Take the flimsy excuse and roll with it.

Maggie doesn't.

And one look at Alex tells the detective that her girlfriend doesn't either.

She sees the gears turning in Alex's head and knows that though the older Danvers sister isn't going to call Kara out on it right here, she is in no way letting it go.

Kara must realize this too.

Because as people begin saying their goodbyes, she tilts her head toward the window, then claims Supergirl emergency.

Kara's in Supergirl attire and gone, before any of them can say a word.

And Maggie can't figure out if she was lying or not.

.. ... ..

"Hey."

The detective says one night.

"How many times does she do that?"

Glancing away from the television screen, that spouts a news banner with Supergirl's name and a grainy video footage of the blonde slamming through a brick wall.

"Does who do what?

Alex murmurs, looking up from the case report in her hands.

"Your sister, how many times does she just crash through the ceiling? She does know that there are doors, right?"

Alex pauses. Readjusts her glasses as she stares at the freeze frame of her sister's image.

And her girlfriend's expression twists into one of concern.

"Not as much as she used too. I've been telling her to stop."

The news station changes topics.

Alex's worried expression doesn't disappear.

Maggie's knotted feeling doesn't either.

... ...

"You have standing orders not to shoot."

Davidson reminds her.

"I know."

But her finger itches at the trigger anyway.

Trained expertly on the Doomsday-esque monster who threatens to rip the city apart.

Because come on, it hasn't even been a month since the invasion.

As part of the National City Police Department, Maggie has orders to keep the perimeter.

To keep the monster contained.

Keep it away from the civilians.

Three are confirmed dead already.

But still, they have orders not shoot.

Apparently, the monstrosity before them is not alien.

Rather a messed-up science experiment orchestrated by the government.

Humanoid in shape, but easily twice that size in width and height.

Muscle rippling under golden scaled shimmering skin.

Hot anger prevalent in dark, cold eyes.

It has already proven it will destroy everything in its way.

But the government wants to protect its investment.

So, they want it subdued. Contained. Unharmed.

Not riddled with bullets.

And the only person that can really do that is Supergirl.

Well… Supergirl and Superman.

But Kara's more famous cousin is busy in Metropolis.

So, it's just Kara.

Kara and the monster.

On par with another with strength and fortitude.

They've been trading punches with each other for the better part of the last thirty minutes.

Like boulders crashing together.

Blow after blow.

Sending each other flying up in the air. Then back down.

The fight is evenly matched. The fight is fair.

Until it isn't.

Maggie can see the moment when Kara loses her edge.

Can see the moment she shifts just a little bit too far to the left and loses her balance and the monstrous figure takes the advantage.

Sends her careening across the empty street, crashing head first into concrete a few seconds later.

Kara is slower getting up after that.

A lot slower.

"Chief? Permission to engage."

She questions for the fourth time into her radio.

Officer Davidson looks over to her in disbelief.

Knowing that the answer is most likely going to be the same.

Maggie ignores him.

Her veins twisting with cold as she watches the fight deteriorate.

"Permission denied, Detective Sawyer."

Her superior officer commands. Just as he said three times before.

And she bristles at his unwillingness to bend the rules.

And winces as Kara takes another hit.

She's not guarding herself properly.

Not blocking the hits like Alex had taught her, like J'onn had trained her, like Maggie had advised her.

Why isn't she…

Her thought process is interrupted by a tap on the shoulder.

She flinches, diverts her vison upwards.

Agent Vasquez.

"Danvers is on her way. When she gets here, the DEO gets primary jurisdiction over the scene."

Vasquez tells her, using a hand to shield her eyes from the sun as she watches the blonde shoot to sky with her opponent.

Maggie nods, relief fluttering to the surface when she realizes Alex is on her way.

Alex will fix it. Alex will fix this.

But the morbid part of her mind rises too, the part that wonders if that will be enough time.

"Hey, that's not fair. This is our case, and that's not an alie-"

Glares from both women cut Davidson off.

And the ground booms as Kara slams her opponent into the ground.

But the monster is quick. Quick standing up. Quick winding up.

Maggie knows what's about to happen.

There's nothing she can do about it.

Its fist clips Supergirl just over the edge of her left temple.

Even from this distance, yards and yards away from the actual fight, from behind the yellow tape of the safety line, Maggie can hear the crack the connection makes.

And she sees the shape of the tall blonde stumble left.

One step, then two, then three.

She drops.

Crumbles like a rag doll.

 _Get up. Get up. Get up._

Kara doesn't.

 _Get up. Get up. Get up._

The humanoid lizard cross is curling its fist for another blow.

Fuck it.

Maggie fires her weapon.

The acrid smell of gunpowder fills her lungs.

The bullet pierces the back of its neck.

Plaster dust, leaves, and concrete ash shoot into the air as the motionless body makes impact with the ground.

There is stillness on both sides as they wait for the dust to clear.

A hush falls over the crowd.

Until the only thing, Maggie hears are the sirens, the swishing of helicopter blades, and the beating of her own heart.

 _Get up. Get up. Get up._

Kara doesn't move.

Agent Vasquez does.

Maggie follows.

Officer Davidson too.

She leaves her radio behind.

Knows that she's as good as fired for what she has just done.

The trio approach gingerly, but quickly.

Guns held in front of them.

Eyes rapidly scanning the scene.

Davidson splits off from them, choosing to approach the motionless mass of a figure.

Maggie and Vasquez, however, they only have eyes for Supergirl.

Kara lies on the concrete, barely two feet away.

Back against the sidewalk, red cape splayed out in the dust behind her, hands pressed tightly against her eyes.

"I'm fine."

Kara is whispering before Maggie or Agent Vasquez can even say anything.

"I'm fine-gh. I-I'm finnnneee Eh-Liza."

The caped hero murmurs, words slurring, then slushing together.

So not fine.

Definitely not fine.

"Supergirl? It's Detective Sawyer."

Maggie says, knowing that Davidson is only a few feet away, keeps everything formal.

Not Eliza, she doesn't say.

Eliza Danvers isn't even in this city right now.

Agent Vasquez is already turned around.

Murmuring into her radio.

That Supergirl is down and they need medical evac.

"D-don'-guh tell me m-me whatta do… we're gonnna-ugh be late."

Kara murmurs.

And her words are not making any sense.

Shit.

The detective drops to her knees.

Surveys the ground around her friend.

There's no blood.

There's no kryptonite.

There's not even a scratch on her.

"Hey, hey do you remember what happened?"

Keeps her voice soft and low and smooth as honey as she tries to assess the younger woman's mental status.

Kara doesn't say anything. Doesn't move her hands from her eyes.

Instead, only heaves in a deep, shuddering breath.

And when the Kryptonian exhales the air colors itself with frost.

Goosebumps rise on the detective's skin with the sudden gust of cold.

Her powers are still here.

So not exhaustion.

Then what?

The detective switches tactics.

"Hey… can you open your eyes for me?'

The blonde answers in her native tongue.

In what Maggie thinks is her native tongue, she's never heard it before.

A bunch of incomprehensible words strung randomly together as she babbles.

Fading in and out with fluctuating volume.

Vasquez is back then.

"ETA is three minutes. Anything?"

The DEO agent asks casting a worried glance at Supergirl.

"She's not making any sense and… she doesn't have control of her freeze breath."

The detective murmurs, moving around the fallen hero to get away from the constant bombarding of cold air.

Vasquez curses, looks up to the sky again at the news helicopters hovering, then curses again.

"Somebody get the goddamn helicopters out of here."

Vasquez growls into the radio.

"Fucking vultures."

And Maggie turns her attention back to Kara.

"Can we sit you up?"

Kara doesn't say no.

So, Maggie takes it as permission and lifts the tall blonde's shoulders.

And Kara curls upwards and into herself without much complaint.

Mouth moving wordlessly as she presses her hands tighter into her eyes.

Vasquez is crouched down in front of her now too.

"Supergirl, I need you to look at me okay? Look at me."

Vasquez says.

Her questioning goes ignored as Kara continues to babble incoherently.

Where the hell is Alex, Maggie thinks.

Because Kara is pale, pale and shivering, and her head keeps tipping forward slightly as if it is too heavy, or as if she's in danger of falling asleep.

And she's not answering any questions, Maggie can barely tell if she's even following along.

"Shit. Is she okay?"

Davidson.

Filled with wonder and shock as he looks at the trembling superhero.

"She's going to be fine jus-

A retching sound interrupts her, negates everything that the detective tried to say, as the blonde lurches forward, away from her grasp, on to her hands and knees as she empties her stomach contents onto the sidewalk.

Vasquez flinches. Davidson leaps backward.

And Kara lets a mournful groan when she finishes.

One hand comes up to brace the left side of her head, eyes tightly shut as she presses her head into the concrete.

The other slams into the pavement. Once. Twice. Three times.

The ground vibrates under the force.

"Hey… hey…."

Maggie says soothingly, murmuring words that go unheard as the fallen hero curls into crackling cement.

Kara's form shudders violently and the broken gasps dissolve into full blown sobs.

Vasquez is on the radio again. Yelling, screaming for medical backup.

Then Alex is there.

Running fast, running hard.

Leaping over the slain mutant, skidding to a halt in front of the quartet.

The DEO extraction team right behind her.

Maggie backs away instantly. Along with Vasquez and Davidson.

Away as Alex crouches down close.

Whispers her sister's name.

Tries to get her to look up.

Speaks in quiet, gentle words.

Kara doesn't stop crying.

… … …. …

They manage to get Kara to the DEO.

It takes almost an hour to convince the blonde into the medical transport.

Because she won't willingly cooperate.

Not physically, not mentally.

But Alex won't let anyone use kryptonite to subdue her.

Out of fear and out of promise.

Out of fear of what it could do when they don't know what's wrong.

Out of promise in that she swore that she'd never purposely hurt her sister.

Eventually Alex and the medical evac meet each other halfway and the extraction team pumps the hero full of some kind of Kryptonion-grade morphine.

Until she's loopy enough to be taken without endangering others.

And the blonde cries the entire way there.

Davidson goes with them too.

He has paperwork to sign, now that Alex has inadvertently revealed the blonde's civilian identity.

In the end, the agreed upon diagnosis is a third-degree concussion.

The explanation given for all the symptoms leading up to it is pinned as the result of post concussive syndrome, likely from a previous concussion sustained in an earlier fight.

And all Maggie can think about is Clark hitting Kara. Over and over and over again.

And because Alex can't verify for sure that Kara went under the sun lamps that day or that she went under them at all since the invasion three weeks ago.

They agree that maybe, maybe that was it.

Because the blonde is indestructible, but at the end of the day the brain is a free-floating entity.

It doesn't agree to constant battering.

And even Supergirl can't sustain that many hits.

Especially those dealt by those just as strong as her.

The blonde passes out as soon as they put her under the sun lamps.

And she's been under there, still and unmoving, ever since.

Maggie and Alex are unwavering at her side.

Sitting in the darkened room together, hands intertwined as they lean against one another.

They sit in complete and utter silence.

Maggie remembering everything that led up to this moment.

Thinking about all the warning signs.

Second guessing everything that she could have done differently.

She knows that Alex is probably doing the same thing.

She also knows how dark Alex's mind can get in times like this.

So, Maggie shifts her position to face her girlfriend.

Untangles their hands, moves her own to the sides of Alex's face, along her jaw, lifting her head that's burrowing into her jacket.

Tentative fingers feathering across Alex's cheek as Maggie leans closer to touch their foreheads together, and for a moment they simply breathe.

But surprisingly, it is Alex who talks first.

"Thanks, Mags. For… for being there."

Alex whispers.

"Wouldn't have it any other way."

Maggie says in reply, relief filling her as the sound of her abbreviated name displaces the empty iciness that has resided far too long in her chest.

There's a pause as her words echo throughout the room.

"It's not your fault, Danvers"

She says next. Just as quietly. Just as firmly.

"I didn't catch it. I… It was right in front of me and I didn't catch it."

The self-deprecation in her tone alerts Maggie to the now familiar need, and without hesitation, she objects.

"Look at me."

The light from Kara's sunlamps bathes them in its soft glow, allowing her to see wide, tear brown eyes looking back at her.

"It was right in front of all of us. None of us saw it coming. All that matters now is that it's getting fixed."

Alex nods.

Tearfully, but resolutely.

Kara sleeps for seven more hours…

Maggie and Alex stay there with her the entire time.

… … …

Supergirl isn't indestructible.

The blonde likes to think she is.

Loves others to think she is.

And the entire city celebrates her as so.

Invulnerable. Indestructible.

But she's not. Not really.

 **Authors Note: Let me know what you thought? I'm also open to writing prompts, low on ideas for one shots.**


End file.
